If only Gretzky'd listened to his dad...

USA Today's Kevin Allen wrote a fantastic column about the 20th anniversary of the Wayne Gretzky trade, and, in speaking with Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke, he reveals that Gretzky's career could have taken a drastically different turn if he'd followed his father's advice:

August 8, USA Today: Aug. 9 marks the 20th anniversary of [former Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce] McNall's Gretzky acquisition, a deal that is considered one of the most important trades, and perhaps the most shocking trade, in professional sports history. McNall gave up Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and $15 million to Pocklington for Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski.

"It rocked the hockey world," said Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke, who was an assistant general manager with the Vancouver Canucks at the time of the deal. "It was the day that the hockey world stood still and then it has a seismic impact on hockey in the U.S."

Today, the 1988 Gretzky deal is credited for paving the way to the NHL's expansion into non-traditional markets and creating an entire generation of players from those areas.
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In the interview with NHL Network, Gretzky suggests that McNall's hunch that there were efforts to quash the deal up until the last minute were on the mark.

"I was probably in shock," Gretzky is quoted as saying in a transcript provided by the NHL. "Walking in, Glen (Sather) pulled me aside, sat with me for a good hour, trying to convince me that if we wanted to block the deal he could."

Burke said the Canucks made a strong pitch for Gretzky, and Gretzky said his dad, Walter, wanted him to be push for a trade to the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit is just a three-hour drive from Wayne's hometown of Brantford, Ontario.

Gretzky grew up as a Gordie Howe fan, so that would have been interesting...but if the Wings' 1989 draft had gone differently, we probably wouldn't be talking about four Stanley Cups, either. I'll take what happened instead of what if...but it would have been nice.